Topeka man sentenced in local sex trafficking case

A Topeka man was sentenced Monday to 47 months in federal prison for the sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

Reginald Eugene Newman, 30, Topeka, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. In his plea, he admitted that on March 21, 2015, he and his wife, co-defendant Tiara Jade Newman, took a 17-year-old girl from Topeka to Junction City, Kan., for the purpose of prostitution.

The Newmans rented two rooms at a Value Place motel in Junction City. They used one room for performing commercial sex acts and slept in the other room. Tiara Newman and the victim met a solder from Fort Riley at the Value Place motel. The soldier paid $250 to have sex with both of them.

On March 26, 2015, Tiara Newman took the victim along on an “out call” to the Fairfield Inn in Manhattan, Kan. Tiara Newman told a customer there that the victim was new and she was showing her the business. The customer noticed that the victim was nervous and gave her a tip when he paid her.

The Newmans kept all the money from the commercial sex acts.

Tiara Newman was sentenced earlier this month to 34 months in federal prison.

Beall thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Kenney and the following agencies for their work on the case: The Topeka Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Riley County Police Department, the Junction City Police Department, the Kansas Department of Revenue, the Fort Riley Police Department, the Ottawa Police Department, the Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office, the Pottawatomie County Attorney, the Riley County Attorney and local human trafficking victim specialists.